Like other countries in eastern Europe, Romania is attempting to control its stray population by mass eradication. In November, Romanian Parliament voted in favor of permitting local municipalities to determine the life or death of street dogs, offering approval to develop street dog killing programs throughout the country.

Under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty, EU Member States are expected to pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals because they are sentient beings (Article 13, TFEU). Romania should, therefore, be implementing a humane animal control program instead of legitimizing the mass killing of street dogs.

HSI is asking Romanian leaders to adopt ethical practices of humane animal control and have even offered assistance in developing effective and humane street dog population management programs.

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Urge the Romanian president and the president of the country's Parliament to prevent the killing of street dogs—sign our petition today.

The Euro 2012 soccer championship is just about to start, and the hosting countries, Poland and Ukraine, are busy preparing for the festivities. In doing so, Ukraine plans to reduce the number of homeless animals across the country to prevent the world from seeing how many homeless animals actually live and suffer on Ukrainian streets.

However, the measures taken by Ukrainian authorities are not humane at all: The animals are poisoned, shot, and even burned alive. In the extremely cruel latter method, authorities in Lysychansk, Mariupol, and other Ukrainian cities use a cremation truck, which was even advertised on national television. The animals are caught and then shot or anaesthetized and thrown directly into the cremation truck!

For years, Ukrainian and Swiss animal activists—with SOS Animals Society Kiev and SOS Chats Noiraigue leading the way—have been fighting against the mass killings of homeless animals in Ukraine, advocating instead for a nonviolent approach to animal birth control (the so-called neuter-and-release method, in which animals are gently captured, neutered, given medical treatment, vaccinated, and—after a period of recovery—returned to their familiar territories).

PETA Germany, which had soccer players write to the authorities, has a long history of demonstrating about this issue. The group held a protest in front of the Ukrainian Embassy in Germany just this week.

Even the Union of European Football Associations, which PETA Germany contacted in 2009, sharply criticized the cruel practices of Ukrainian authorities and offered financial support to animal protection advocates to neuter animals. Ukrainian authorities have reacted to the efforts of animal rights advocates with repressive measures: They have put pressure on animal activists to stop the international protest!